1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to electronic tag games and more particularly to a system and method for carrying out an electronic tag game.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Electronic and other types of tag games have existed for a number of years. For example, games such as laser tag have experienced substantial popularity and involve the use of an optical signal transmitted by a device or weapon and received by sensors worn by an opponent. The receipt of the transmission may then be recorded electronically to signify that the opponent has been hit or tagged by the transmitting party.
Another type of tag game known in the art is paintball. In paintball, opponents fire paint-filled projectiles at one another. Once a player is hit, the projectile leaves behind a paint spot signifying that the player has been “damaged” or eliminated from the competition.
Such tag games suffer from a number of known disadvantages. Paintball, and other projectile based games, do not provide unambiguous evidence that a player has been tagged. It is often up to the participants themselves to score the game with honesty or integrity; such a limitation often requires the game to be refereed by an official. In addition, paintballs are inherently massive, causing significant discomfort to the players on impact. Paintballs leave behind spots of paint, which may be unpleasant and aesthetically unpleasing, and require that the games be played in areas where such paint spatter is acceptable, thus reducing the number of available places for gameplay, and increasing the effort for cleanup. Further, paintball requires the purchase of disposable ammunition, which can make repeated play expensive and even cost-prohibitive. Projectile based tag games, such as paintball, lack many of the advantages of electronic type games like laser tag. The inability to track scoring automatically and communicate digitally between players limits available gameplay options. By employing electronics, new dimensions of interaction are available to the players such as automatic scoring, more diverse gameplay options, interactions with the gaming environment, and instant communication of player status to other players in the game.
Existing electronic tag games lack a projectile or other object configured to hit the players. This is disadvantageous as it affects the realism associated with such games that is often desired by the players. In addition, existing electronic tag games are not able to simulate combat with hand to hand weapons such as swords and shields, limiting the types of gameplay that can be employed on those systems. Another limitation of electronic tag games, such as laser tag, is the inability to localize the point of impact on the player. The sensing system is unable to differentiate, for example, a tag on the abdomen and a tag on the chest due to the spread of the laser beam and limited number of sensors worn by the player. Knowing such information enables more accurate and realistic combat simulation.
The need therefore exists to provide an electronic tag game that overcomes one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.